This invention relates, in general, to portable devices used for the transporting and dispensing of spooled metal electrical wire. Specifically herein, this device stores, protects, transports, and despools wound wire, and respools excess free wire. However, it is envisioned that other spooled materials, such as rope, ribbon, and nonconductive wire may also be dispensed by use of this device. Such Materials may be dispensed, singularly and multiplely, in any direction.
The wire to which this device pretains is generally small sized, such as 18 through 6 gauge. Such wire is manufactured and wound onto spools, which may vary in diameter and width of the spool, depending on the amount of wire placed on the spools. Said spools are provided with a hollow hub, which may also vary in diameter and width.
In the field of electrical wiring, it is necessary to devise a means of simultaneously dispensing several spools of wire. However, present devices use a single horizontal spindle, either handheld or fastened to a framework. This allows the spools to rotate when the free end of the wire is pulled. Some devices have slots which help guide, and in some cases add friction to, the wire. Due to the resiliency of spooled wire, the wire tends to override the spool rim, entangling with the device and the adjacant spools. Thus causing either damage to the wire or loss of productivity, or both, when correcting. Severely bent, and nicked, electical wire results in a critical reduction in its conductive properties. Since much electrical wire has opaque outer insulation the damage to wire may not be visually detectable. Therefore, wire may be unknowingly installed in an unsafe condition.
In some present devices, spools are mounted side by side on a single holding rod. This arrangement creates several problems, when a spool becomes depleted. Excepting outer spools, the said arrangement requires that additional spools be removed to replace the depleted spool. The same problem is inherent in replacing one gauge of spooled wire with a different gauged wire, when satisifying job requirements. Furthermore, excess unspooled wire must be respooled prior to transportation. Excess wire is subject to physical damages and is a safety hazard when left loose within the workplace. With spools mounted side by side, on a single holding rod, the process of respooling is cumbersome and ineffective. To respool effectively, the spool must be removed from the dispensing device. Otherwise, when despooling and respooling the inertia from one spool is transmitted to adjacant spools by physical contact.
A means of pretensioning each wire, before it leaves the spool is essential. In the process of dispensing, wire tends to retain the circular shape of the spool, and tends to remain in the motion, indirection of spool rotation. Thereby, wire tends to backlash within the spool when rotation is slowed. This event is common and similar to the frequent backlash of fishing line on bait casting fishing reels. Current devices do not negate backlash, because the wire is tensioned after the wire departs the spool. In a like manner, another problem occurs when spools are mounted on a single rod. When one, or more, wires are pulled, static spools bind with rotating spools, creating backlash within the static spool. Conversely, rotating spools are subjected to undesirable and excessive resistance when wire is pulled.
With current devices, the user is limited to where they may locate when dispensing wire. Said devices are also limited to a person, or persons, continually pulling wire in generally the same direction. However, it is the general nature of commercial, residential, and industrial wiring tasks, and in servicing multiple pieces of equipment, that multiple wires be pulled in multiple directions. Since present dispensing devices do not conform to the nature of the tasks, much time is expended in repositioning the device to a correct angle, and often location, to permit wire pulling. When a dispensing device must, otherwise, be relocated a mechanically assisted means of transport is essential. Whereas, the aggregate weight of several spools of wire will often exceed the body weight of the individual worker. The device described, herein, comprises a means of both saving labor and limiting the deficiencies of other existing devices.